


What Does A Kiss Mean?

by cHarley_Quinn



Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02
Genre: 5+1 Things, Accidental Kissing, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Drunken Kissing, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Gay Ichijouji Ken, Inoue Miyako | Yolei Inoue/Tachikawa Mimi As A Sidepairing, Izumi Koushirou | Izzy Izumi/Yagami Taichi | Tai Kamiya As A Sidepairing, M/M, Non-Consensual Kissing, Teen Romance, Teenagers, Yagami Hikari | Kamiya Kari Ships It, bisexual Motomiya Daisuke, mentions of depression, no beta wie die like men, past! Hikari x Takeru
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 06:22:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23466823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cHarley_Quinn/pseuds/cHarley_Quinn
Summary: 5 kisses that mean nothing + 1 kiss that means everything
Relationships: Ichijouji Ken/Motomiya Daisuke | Davis Motomiya, Inoue Miyako | Yolei Inoue/Tachikawa Mimi, Izumi Koushirou | Izzy Izumi/Yagami Taichi | Tai Kamiya
Comments: 17
Kudos: 27
Collections: Daiken 5+1 Challenge, Daiken Discord Server





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Was bedeutet ein Kuss?](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/577966) by myself. 



"Ken?"

Daisuke gave his best friend a nervous look. It was Sunday morning, in a couple of hours Ken would return home. Minomon and Chibimon rested on Daisuke's bed while Daisuke tried out a new racing game he had recently bought.

Ken sat next to him on the floor and watched him playing. Something he often did when he didn't want to play himself. It irritated Daisuke at first. He knew that Ken sometimes still felt uncomfortable when he played himself. Ken had told him again and again that he enjoyed to watch him play, and meanwhile Daisuke had gotten used to it.

"What's wrong, Daisuke?" Ken looked from the screen at his best friend.

"I... ah, it's nothing," Daisuke pulled back. The reason he had approached Ken had been bothering him all weekend. But he couldn't just ask Ken something like that.

"Hmm..." Ken narrowed his eyes, but decided not to push any further, for which Daisuke was infinitely grateful.

Daisuke started the car racing game again. But this time he felt Ken's eyes on him and it was hard for him to concentrate. When his game character fell into the pit again, he finally sighed loudly.

"Daisuke, if you don't tell me what's wrong, I can't help you."

"I told you, it's nothing," Daisuke shunned. His game character crashed again.

"I can see that," Ken said with a skeptical look at the screen. Daisuke was no beginner. He rarely fell down anywhere, especially not on a racetrack as simple as this one. Of course Ken noticed something was going on.

"I... well... it's about Hikari-chan," he finally confessed quietly.

"What's with her?"

"Well, I told you that I asked her out on a date the other day, you remember?"

Ken nodded slowly.

"I also remember she turned you down again," he said.

"Yes." Grumbling, Daisuke looked at his socks. He really didn't understand why Hikari kept rejecting him.

"Well, I've been thinking why she always says no. So what if she thinks, I'm a bad kisser?" Daisuke didn't dare to look up. His face had turned scarlet and for a few seconds, the ticking of the clock's second hand was the only sound in the room.

"Why do you think that?" Ken eventually asked.

Daisuke bit his lower lip and then lifted his head carefully. Ken looked at him. He wondered what he thought of him now. They had never really talked about girls, relationships or even kissing. Or at least Ken had never really talked about it.

"Well, I haven't kissed anyone yet," Daisuke explained quietly. "Well, except for kisses for my aunts, but I meant more like romantic kisses, you know?"

"There will always be a first time," Ken said. "And I doubt Hikari-san will be the best at her first kiss. I'm certain that will happen in time."

"Do you really think Hikari-chan is bad at kissing?"

"I don't know. I don't really care if girls are good at kissing," Ken said softly. "You're the one of us who has a crush on her."

"I don't think she's bad at it," Daisuke said. "I'm sure she knows how to kiss properly."

"Well, it's not exactly rocket science," Ken said dryly and Daisuke giggled gently.

"If I kiss you, will you tell me what you think?" he asked uncertainly.

Ken looked at him irritated, his mouth opened slightly but no sound came out.

"Ken?" Daisuke leaned forward and waved one hand in front of his face. "Daisuke to Ken, are you there?"

"You want to kiss me?" he asked slowly.

Daisuke nodded. "So you can tell me if I'm a bad kisser."

"B-but we're both boys," Ken reminded him.

"So?" Besides, it'll be a benefit for you. After all, I know that you, at the age of fourteen, are still completely unkissed just like me. Afterwards you can at least claim that you've kissed someone in the past."

"But... shouldn't the first kiss be special?"

"It's not a first kiss," Daisuke said. "A first kiss is with someone you have feelings for. This is just a practice kiss."

"A practice kiss?"

"Right. A kiss that means nothing." Daisuke nodded excitedly. "Ken, please. I have no one else to give an honest opinion. And you're my best friend, I trust you."

Ken just looked at him for a few seconds, his forehead slightly wrinkled. Finally he nodded. "Okay."

Daisuke looked at him surprised. He never expected Ken to say yes so easily.

He slid over to Ken, who looked at him unsteadily. Then he bent over a little so that their faces were only a few inches apart.

"Are you sure it's okay?" Daisuke checked and took Ken's face in his hands. Ken nodded slowly. He had turned red.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," Daisuke promised him.

Then he passed the last inch between them and pressed his mouth against Ken's. Ken's lips were warm and soft, just like everything about Ken was just soft and warm. He moved his lips gently against Ken's until the latter opened his mouth a little bit.

Kissing wasn't so bad. And kissing Ken felt good.

Eventually, he pulled away from Ken and then slid back again.

"So?" Excitedly he looked at Ken.

"It... wasn't bad," Ken said softly.

Daisuke blushed slightly and then grinned.

"But do you think Hikari-chan would like it too?"

Ken sighed slightly. "Daisuke, I can't tell if Hikari-san will like it as well. I'm not her."

"I know, I know. So, you liked it? Not in a romantic way, but just that you didn't regret doing it?"

Ken shrugged. " Well, you're definitely not bad at kissing, okay?" Then he leaned forward and grabbed the second controller that had been lying on the floor next to Daisuke.

"What do you think about me kicking your ass one last time before I go home?" he asked with a grin. Daisuke understood that the topic was finished for him.

And it was finished for Daisuke, too. It had only been a kiss between friends so Ken could tell him if he was bad at kissing. Nothing more.

So he also reached for his controller and cancelled his current game switching to multiplayer mode.

"Keep dreaming, Ken," he replied with a grin.


	2. 2.

"It's August. August!" Daisuke stomped his foot grumpy. "Rain should be prohibited at this time of year."

It was the 1st of August and like every year the twelve DigiDestined wanted to meet for their picnic and celebrate the day when the older ones of them had travelled to the Digi World for the first time. A picnic that this time took place at Yamato's home, because it was raining outside like crazy since the early morning hours.

"There's nothing we can do about it," Hikari said. She and Ken were sitting across from each other on the two sofas around the living room table, apparently having just had a conversation about something. Their Digimon were playing together on the ground.

"I know," Daisuke grumbled and looked out the window. The sky was cloudy and it was still raining. It had been Yamato who had phoned them all one after the other and suggested that they could have the picnic in his apartment. So far, only Daisuke, Ken, and Hikari, plus their Digimon, were present. Yamato had rushed to the supermarket after they realized that he didn't have enough drinks in stock.

"It's still annoying," Daisuke grumbled and then dropped on the sofa next to Ken.

"Shouldn't the most important thing be that we all get together?," Ken asked and leaned slightly against him. He had been so pleased that Ken had agreed to this meeting. Daisuke knew that his best friend usually avoided large crowds and that he was here now meant everything to Daisuke. He decided to keep an eye on Ken to make sure he felt at ease.

Hikari nodded in agreement. "We don't see enough of each other as it is."

"That's why this weather is an absolute outrage," Daisuke complained and threw his arms in the air to underline his statement. "I wanted to take the opportunity to challenge Taichi and Yamato to a soccer match."

"I know you think a lot of yourself, but do you really think you have a chance alone?" Hikari raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Not when Ken plays on my team," Daisuke explained confidently.

"And who says I want to join?" Ken looked at him sceptically. Daisuke rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue. He knew Ken was joking. His body language gave it away clearly.

Still, Daisuke pushed his lower lip forward and looked at him with pleading eyes.

"But, Ken," he complained theatrically. "Don't you want to make me happy?"

But before Ken could answer, the front doorbell rang.

Hikari jumped up and hurried to the door. Voices were heard, rustling and then Sora and Takeru came into the living room together with Biyomon and Patamon.

They greeted each other and then Sora sat down next to Hikari while Takeru took the seat next to Ken. Surprised, Daisuke furrowed his brow. Usually Takeru and Hikari always sat next to each other.

Especially since they started dating three months ago.

"Say, Ken, what's up with Takeru and Hikari-chan?" He whispered in his best friend's ear after watching them for a while.

They literally avoided looking at each other, and whenever they did, they immediately looked in the opposite direction. Did they have a fight?

Ken looked at him confused. "Don't you know?"

"What?"

"The two of them broke up," Ken explained quietly and Daisuke opened his jaws.

"Don't mess with me," he cursed, perhaps a bit too loudly, because suddenly, three pairs of eyes were fixed on him and Ken.

"What exactly are you two whispering about?" Takeru asked curiously.

"None of your business," Daisuke replied.

"Oh, now I'm curious, too," Sora intervened and leaned forward. "Come on, tell us!"

Fortunately, the doorbell rang before Daisuke could think up an excuse.

"I'll get it," Daisuke declared hectically and hurried to the door. Behind him he heard Takeru and Sora grumbling slightly, but he decided to ignore them.

Hikari and Takeru had broken up. Why hadn't he noticed?

He decided to interrogate Ken further and then opened the door.

Jyou and Gomamon stood in the hallway. Jyou was breathing heavily, as if he had run here.

"Jyou-san, hello." Smiling, he greeted the elder. Jyou had light circles under his eyes, probably he had been studying late into the night as usual yesterday.

"Daisuke, how nice to see you." He smiled slightly and then slipped out of his shoes.

"You see, Gomamon, I told you that we are not the the last," Jyou said when the three entered the living room. His Digimon grumbled something of "If I hadn't pushed so hard, you'd still be hovering over your books" and then joined the other Digimon. Daisuke sat down next to Ken again and Jyou took the single chair before Takeru asked him how medical school went.

"Did you mean what you said?" Daisuke asked quietly.

Ken nodded.

" Did you really not notice?" he wondered.

Daisuke thought hard and then shook his head.

"Well, now you know," Ken said and then pointed to Hikari. "Well?"

Daisuke looked at him with wonder.

"She's single right now. You could take a chance and ask her out. Maybe she'll accept this time."

"Oh." Daisuke blinked in surprise. It hadn't even occurred to him that Hikari was now 'on the market' again, so to speak. Secretly, he glanced at her a few times.

"If I'm honest, I don't want to ask her," he confessed discreetly. Ken's eyes widened in surprise.

"Well, they've only just broken up," Daisuke hurried to say. "I'll give Hikari-chan some time and so..."

And if he was completely honest with himself, then he didn't want to ask Hikari on a date at all. Now that he had the chance, he suddenly realized that his feelings for her were gone. Almost crazy, since he had practiced 'kissing' with Ken just a year ago, in case Hikari finally agreed to a date with him.

Ken raised an eyebrow skeptically as if he knew there was more to it than that, and Daisuke shook his head. He didn't want to talk about it now. Later, when they were alone.

Ken nodded understandingly. It fascinated Daisuke again and again that they could talk without words.

Someone put the key into the door lock from the outside and turned it around. Then the door was opened and Yamato's voice was heard.

"I'm back!"

Sora and Daisuke jumped up and hurried to the apartment door to help their friend. He was carrying several heavily packed shopping bags.

"Sora, you're here too!" Yamato greeted her with a grin.

"You think I'd miss our get-together?" She stretched out her tongue teasingly towards him before she reached for two bags. "Okay, what exactly do you have in there?"

"Well, I figured I might as well do my weekly grocery shopping," he said. "Just leave it in the kitchen and I'll put it away later."

Sora nodded and then vanished towards the kitchen.

Daisuke reached for a single bag. "This one to the kitchen, too?"

"Ah, no. There's snacks and drinks in there, so you might as well take them to the others."

"Okay." Daisuke went back to the living room.

"Guys, I have drinks!" he announced.

"About time," Hikari whimpered. "I'll just get glasses for us all."

"Wait, I'll help you carry it." Ken also got up while Daisuke went in his direction to put the bag next to the small living room table.

And that's exactly when V-mon took the opportunity and ran right between Daisuke's legs. The shopping bag slipped out of his hand and crashed on the floor. Daisuke himself fell on Ken, who was surprised by the sudden fall and couldn't keep his balance either and fell backwards onto the sofa.

His head landed directly on Takeru's lap and then Daisuke and Ken's mouths collided.

Their friends laughed loudly and Daisuke jumped down from Ken.

"Shit, did I hurt you?" he asked worriedly and helped him get up. His lips hurt, too - he was sure Ken had bitten him accidentally - but Ken's well-being was more important to him.

"No, it's all right," Ken said. His lower lip was slightly swollen.

"Let me have a look at that," Jyou asked them and after a critical look he explained that definitely everything would be okay, but that they should cool their lips a bit anyway.

"Guys, what kind of things are you doing?", Yamato asked, who just came into the living room.

"I think Daisuke and Ken wanted to tell us about their relationship," Takeru teased them.

"Oh, really?" Yamato whistled approvingly.

"I just tripped over V-mon and fell on Ken," Daisuke explained angrily, while Ken just stood there with a red face and said nothing. " That was all there was."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Daisuke. Are you sure that's all?
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, too.


	3. 3

Loud and partly without hitting a note, the ten DigiDestined sang a song for Mimi's eighteenth birthday. Mimi had invited them to her birthday party and they were all there, except for Iori, who had cancelled shortly before because of a flu.

"How sweet of you," exclaimed Mimi with delight. Miyako bent over and gave her girlfriend a kiss on the cheek. Mimi currently spent a couple of weeks at Miyako and her family's house. After Miyako continued to ask Ken for a date, he finally confessed to her that he was gay.

Devastated, Miyako then spent the holidays with Mimi in the United States. When she came back, she happily announced that she and Mimi were now a couple.

Daisuke was happy that Mimi was now dating Miyako. He had no idea how to deal with having to share his best friend.

"So what do you think about some party games," Mimi asked enthusiastically and grabbed one of the empty bottles that were standing on the table.

The others gave each other meaningful looks.Mimi's american party games were legendary.

"Mimi-san, there are still minors here," Yamato said. "So no strip poker, please."

Mimi rolled her eyes annoyed and stuck her tongue out to him.

"I was thinking more of something like Truth or Dare," she explained with a grin. "Come and sit down and I'll explain how it works."

Since nobody had any objections - they didn't even know the game - they all sat down on the floor in a circle. Daisuke wanted to sit next to Ken, but then Jyou squeezed himself next to him and Hikari grabbed Ken and pulled him to her side so that he sat opposite Daisuke. The Chosen One of Light chatted with him softly. With narrowed eyes Daisuke watched the two. Ken still seemed to be relaxed.

"Okay, it's a bit like Spin the Bottle, but instead of the person who spins the bottle, then has to kiss the person, pointing to the bottle, the chosen one has to either answer a question truthfully or complete some task. This can be anything from 'Kiss the person to your right' to 'Waddle around the room like a penguin'. And you can refuse once if you do not want to do something. You got it?"

They all nodded and Mimi, as the birthday girl, deserved the honour of being the first to spin the bottle. It stopped in front of Yamato.

"Truth!" he requested.

"There is something that has always bothered me," she said, and the grin on her face betrayed the fact that she had nothing good in mind. "Did you and Taichi-san ever hook up?"

Yamato swallowed visibly and then threw a glance over to Taichi.

"Once," he admitted. "It didn't work out."

"I knew it!" Mimi smiled triumphantly.

Yamato leaned forward to turn the bottle again. All eyes were on the bottle, which finally stopped in front of Daisuke.

"Truth", Daisuke decided.

"Hm." Yamato put his head to the side and thought. "You possess the Digimentals of Courage and Friendship. So would you rather make out with me or Taichi?"

Daisuke turned bright red and slid uncomfortably back and forth. "I don't know," he murmured. "With both of you?"

"That doesn't count," Mimi threw in. "You have to choose one, Daisuke."

Angrily, he looked at her. Daisuke knew exactly who he would choose. After all, Taichi had been his childhood idol since he had first seen him playing soccer. And yes, maybe Daisuke had had a small crush on him.

"You can skip the question, Daisuke-kun," Sora reminded him. She was right, but maybe it wasn't such a good idea to make use of it right at the first question.

"Taichi", he muttered instead, avoiding looking at his two elders. Takeru whistled suggestively and Mimi muttered a soft "I knew it" to Miyako. Sighing, Daisuke turned the bottle.

The bottle landed on Takeru, who chose Dare. Daisuke forced him to run the stairs from the fifth floor to the ground floor and back again. Takeru got up and jogged outdoors.

Finally, breathing heavily, he came back and let himself fall to his seat. Yamato handed him a water bottle, which Takeru emptied with large sips.

Takeru's bottle pointed at Taichi and he was dared to kiss the person he had last phoned from the people present. Loud cheering sounded as Taichi bent over to Koushiro and pressed a kiss on his mouth.

Taichi asked Jyou if he had any wedding plans with his long-term girlfriend, which he denied with a bright red head.

The bottle spun again. More embarrassing questions were answered and more embarrassing tasks were performed.

Then it was Hikari's turn to spin. She giggled and needed several attempts to make the bottle spin. But finally it spun, slowed down more and more and then came to a stop in front of Daisuke.

"Truth or Dare?" she asked innocently.

"Dare?" After all, he had already taken Truth. And no matter what Hikari thought up, it certainly wouldn't be too bad.

"Okay. Kiss the person in the room for exactly one minute that you... no, that the majority of us consider prettiest," she challenged him. "And no, you are not allowed to vote for your girlfriend or boyfriend," she added with a side glance at Miyako and Taichi.

"Then I'll go with Ken," Miyako explained. Taichi and Sora both nodded.

"Ken, definitely," Yamato also said.

"Normally, I would say Miyako, but since I'm not allowed to, I agree with Ken," Mimi confirmed to them.

Ken had not said a word, but sat there stiff as a stick with a bright red face and avoided looking up. Daisuke threw an angry look at his other friends.

"Ken?" he asked timidly. "If you don't want to, then..."

"Rules are rules," said Mimi with a grin. "If Ken doesn't want to do it, then he shouldn't have joined in in the first place."

"It's okay," Ken said. "It's only a kiss, after all."

And it's not like it was their first kiss. Daisuke looked at Ken questioningly to make sure he was really okay with it. Ken nodded hardly noticeably, a slight smile on his lips. So Daisuke crawled over to Ken, grabbed him by the collar of his polo shirt and then pressed his lips to Ken's.

Ken tensed up a bit, so Daisuke ran his fingers through his silky, dark hair, as he did so often to calm him down. How soft his lips were. Daisuke made a slight sigh and he moved closer to Ken. If he was honest, kissing Ken wasn't so bad. He knew the others were watching, but he didn't care. Ken kissed him back gently, almost afraid, as if he feared that Daisuke would stop the kiss any second. Just as he opened his mouth and nudged Ken's lips teasingly with his tongue, the beeping of Hikari's cell phone sounded. Apparently she had set a timer. The one minute was over.

Daisuke slowly separated from Ken and looked at him questioningly. The others were right, Ken really was the prettiest of the group. Daisuke could have spent hours just looking into those violet eyes.

"Everything okay?" he asked. Ken nodded slowly and smiled at him. A smile that he just showed to Daisuke, indicating that everything was okay. Daisuke stroked Ken's cheek once more and then slid back to his original place.

"I hope you enjoyed the show," he said to the others and then reached for the bottle to spin it again.


	4. 4.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little warning before you start reading. This chapter implies a little bit that Ken suffers from depression.   
> Please beware!

"Are you sure you want to go so soon?" Taichi looked at him questioningly. "The evening is still young after all."

Daisuke nodded while putting on his jacket. Or more precisely, he tried to put on his jacket. Since when was it so hard to find the sleeve hole? With the other arm he had managed it, after all. Maybe he should have drunk a little less.

Finally Daisuke sighed in frustration and simply threw the jacket over his shoulder. It was only about twenty minutes to his place, which he could bear with his jacket open.

Like every year they celebrated Christmas together. If Daisuke was honest, he didn't want to go yet. He'd only been there for three hours.

The reason for his early departure leaned with closed eyes against the frame of the open apartment door. He had already put on his jacket and street shoes. Of course, this task was much easier for him. Ken, unlike Daisuke, hadn't been drinking.

Ken had not even asked him to leave early. One look was enough and Daisuke noticed that Ken was not feeling well. He was quieter than usual, kept rubbing his temples and had spent most of his time at the tilted window.

Daisuke didn't know what happened. But he didn't want Ken to feel bad, and if he had to leave the Christmas party early for that, so be it.

He put on his shoes and then hugged Taichi as he left. "Next time we'll stay longer," he promised him. When he had offered Ken that they could leave earlier, he - being kind as he was - had told him that Daisuke shouldn't miss out on his fun because of him.

But Daisuke couldn't have any fun when Ken was feeling bad.

"Ken?" Carefully he touched his best friend on the forearm. "Come on, let's go."

"Hm," was all that came from him. Daisuke hooked his arm with Kens and then pulled him towards the elevator.

"You didn't have to leave earlier because of me," Ken said in a low voice as the elevator doors closed behind them. Daisuke tightened slightly. He had never been a big fan of elevators before and usually he always took the stairs. But now he wanted to get Ken home as fast as possible. He could pull himself together.

"Don't talk such... crap," Daisuke slurred. "If you feel bad, let's go home. Seriously, I don't mind."

"Thank you." Ken briefly squeezed his forearm and then leaned his head against Daisukes.

They left the elevator and went outside in silence. It was cold outside and a strong wind was blowing which made them both shiver. Ken squeezed closer to Daisuke.

To feel his best friend pressed so close to him made his face turn bright red. But Ken made no move to back down, so he let him. If Daisuke was honest, he liked the way Ken clung to him while they both went home. Or in Ken's case, the Motomiyas' home where they had left Minomon and Chibimon behind. Taichi's apartment was too small for all their Digimon and so Daisuke and Ken had left them at home with Daisuke's parents.

Actually Ken was supposed to pick up Minomon and then drive back to his place.

" Sleep with me," Daisuke asked him. Ken looked at him in surprise, but it took Daisuke a few minutes to realize what his words meant.

"N-not like that," he hurried to say. "Spend the night at my place?"

Ken sighed.

"I can't let you go home if you feel so bad," Daisuke slowly explained.

"Okay."

"And don't tell me it's only a twenty minute ride," Daisuke continued. "As your best friend I can't... Wait, what?"

"I'm staying the night," Ken repeated his statement. "Let me just call my parents and tell them I'm going to stay the night. I don't want them to worry."

Daisuke's mouth widened into a broad grin.

"Oh, how great!" he exclaimed enthusiastically.

Ken just nodded, a gentle smile on his face.

They reached the Motomiya's home. Carefully Daisuke unlocked the door and after taking off both their shoes and jackets, they walked quietly down the hall. Ken stopped by the phone and dialed his parents' number while Daisuke entered the living room. His parents sat on the sofa and talked quietly while the TV was on.

"Daisuke?" His mother looked at him curiously when she noticed him. "It's only half past seven. What are you doing here?"

"Ken wasn't feeling well," Daisuke told them. In the background he could hear Ken talking to his parents.

"Okay. There should still be some aspirin in the bathroom cabinet," his father said. Daisuke nodded and then went back to Ken, who had just hung up the phone. Fortunately, his parents hadn't noticed that he had been drinking. Or maybe they didn't care.

"I can stay," he explained and Daisuke sighed with relief.

"Dad thinks that we still have aspirin in the bathroom," he explained and pulled his friend into the bathroom where they were getting ready for the night. Daisuke lent Ken his pyjamas while he stripped himself down to his boxer shorts and then crawled into bed like this. Their two Digimon were sleeping at the end of the bed. Minomon had looked up only once when they came in, but had gone back to sleep immediately.

Ken lay down next to him and then turned on the side with his back to Daisuke.

He himself stared thoughtfully at the ceiling and listened to Ken's breath. At first it was steady and Daisuke was about to fall asleep himself when he heard a soft whimper.

"Ken?" He slipped to his best friend and rolled him carefully on his back. Moonlight fell through the window and Daisuke could see Ken was crying.

"I-it's fine," Ken muttered and wiped the tears from his face. "Go back to sleep."

Daisuke shook his head. "Won't you tell me what's wrong? You've been so introverted all this time."

"Really, it's nothing..." mumbled Ken. Daisuke sighed and interlocked their fingers, pushing his left leg between Ken's legs and sliding his face so close to Ken that the tips of their noses touched.

He didn't say anything but simply lay there and looked at Ken waiting. Even though Daisuke was drunk, he knew Ken didn't want to be pushed. So he just held him close and waited.

"I don't even know why I'm sad," Ken confessed quietly. "It all just feels so heavy."

"It's okay," Daisuke whispered and let go of his hand to caress his hair. "It's okay to be sad sometimes. I'm here for you, Ken-chan."

A thought crossed Daisuke's mind. If he hadn't been drinking, he probably would have thought again if this idea was really as good as at the moment Daisuke pronounced it. But so the words rolled over his tongue before he could change his mind again.

"If I kiss you, would that comfort you?"

Ken looked at him in surprise and Daisuke's brain slowly began to process what he had just said. Then again, it was just a kiss. Ken would just say no and everything would be fine.

"Okay," he whispered, though. Daisuke blinked briefly and then stretched out to press his lips onto Ken's.

He knew what Ken's lips felt like. Still, it felt so good when Daisuke moved his lips against Ken's. Daisuke sighed slightly and buried his hand in Ken's hair. He opened his mouth and stroked Ken's lower lip with his tongue, sucked on it and then Ken's mouth was open as well. Daisuke didn't think - thinking was generally too hard for him at the moment - but let his tongue slip into Ken's mouth. Damn, that felt good. Despite all his kissing with girls and one or two boys so far, nothing could even begin to describe how fantastic it felt to kiss Ken.

When he needed air, he reluctantly separated himself from Ken and slid back a little. Gently, he stroked his cheek.

"Feeling better?", Daisuke asked and closed his eyes briefly with the intention to open them again immediately.

The  _ immediate  _ turned into several hours later. When Daisuke woke up the next morning, it was already late morning. His head was pounding like someone was hammering nails through his skull. He and Ken had become even more entangled in their sleep. While Daisuke kept watching him, the memory of last night came back. The kiss.

Should he talk to Ken about it? Daisuke decided against it, after all it had only been a kiss. Well, he hadn't actually intended to stick his tongue into Ken's mouth, on the other hand he had been drunk. It was nothing...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daisuke is still denying that kissing Ken meant something. But to be fair, he's also hungover.
> 
> Only two more chapters!


	5. 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small warning, there's going to be a non-consensual kiss in this chapter.

"Can you tell me what this is?" Daisuke looked at his best friend in irritation and poked against his chest. He really couldn't be serious. After all, it was summer and they were on their way to the beach with their Digimon. It was something that had been bothering Daisuke all the time since they had put on their swimwear.

"It's called a T-shirt," Ken calmly explained.

"I know what it's called," Daisuke replied, rolling her eyes. "What I don't understand is why you're still wearing it. We're at the beach, Ken. Do you see any other male person sitting here in a T-shirt?"

Ken looked around and then pointed to an elderly man in a white T-shirt who must be about the same age as Daisuke's father.

"Someone around our age?" Daisuke corrected his statement.

Ken didn't answer.

"I'm just worried about you," Daisuke replied while they were looking for their friends to meet on the beach. They were not the only ones who had decided to visit the ocean. The loud squawking of two quarreling children resounded from somewhere and on the volleyball field two young men were playing against each other.

"And why are you worried about me?"

"Daisuke-kun!" Takeru's voice echoed to them. He, Miyako, Hikari and Iori were sitting on a picnic blanket with their Digimon not far from them. "Here we are!"

"Coming!" Daisuke shouted to him with a grin. Then he turned to Ken again.

"I just don't want you to collapse from heat exhaustion," he explained. "And you will if you keep wearing a T-shirt around here."

"And when exactly do you plan to go in the water?" Daisuke wondered. After all, he knew Ken all too well, and he knew that Ken usually avoided swimming in the ocean. After all, Ken had cancelled every time Daisuke had invited him to the beach. A visit to the swimming pool was okay, but nothing more.

"Later."

Daisuke looked at him head-shaking, but said nothing more. The fact that Ken had joined him meant a lot to him after all. And he didn't want to push his luck too hard. It had taken some persuasion, after all. Not only had Ken avoided the open sea since his experience at Dark Ocean, he now spent every spare minute studying for his university exams.

V-mon and Wormmon greeted the other Digimon and together they hurried to the water to cool down in the shallow bank. Some of the beach visitors looked curiously after them.

Daisuke pointed to the beach ball Miyako had brought. "What do you think about a little game of beach ball?"

"Always!" she replied and jumped up. "Hikari-chan, are you coming?"

The addressed girl shook her head. "Later, perhaps."

"Okay." Miyako smiled and then hurried towards the water, Takeru and Iori were close on her heels.

Daisuke looked at Ken and Hikari again.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," he said with a grin and ran to the rest of his friends.

A sigh echoed as his bare feet touched the cold water. Ken and Hikari definitely didn't know what they were missing. What better way to cool off than on a hot summer day like this?

They passed the ball to each other, splashing water all over each other. Daisuke kept glancing at Hikari and Ken.

Something colourful flew past him and then he heard Takeru complaining loudly. Apparently he had been so distracted that he had not noticed the approaching ball. And it was now drifting further out to the sea.

"Now go get the ball again!" Miyako yelled to him. Daisuke rolled his eyes, but jumped into the water and swam after the ball as fast as possible.

When he had swum back, he passed the ball to Iori and then, out of habit, he glanced at Ken and Hikari.

Only Hikari was no longer there.

Confounded, Daisuke frowned and looked around the beach. He spotted her standing in a queue in front of the ice cream vendor. Of course, if the two of them avoided the water, they would want to cool down with an ice cream. Satisfied he sighed up and then looked at Ken again.

One of the guys who had played volleyball earlier was standing next to Ken. Daisuke squinted his eyes. What exactly did this guy want with his Ken?

"Oi, Daisuke!" Miyako's voice tore him from his thoughts and he looked at her. She held the ball and stared at him angrily. "Are you still playing?"

"Y-yes," Daisuke said and returned to their game. But soon his eyes flew back to Ken and the stranger.

The volleyball guy had now bent over to Ken and ... was that a hand he had put on Ken's thigh?

Daisuke leaned forward to see better and was then hit by the beach ball right in his face. He lost his balance and fell backwards into the water.

Panicked, he flailed around until his hand was grabbed and Takeru pulled him up. He, Miyako, and Iori stood worried around him.

"Seriously, what's wrong with you, Daisuke-san?"

"Is everything all right, Daisuke-kun?"

"Sorry if I hurt you, Dai-chan."

Daisuke coughed several times until he could breathe normally again.

"N-no, it's all right," Daisuke said. "But maybe I should get out of the water and check on Ken. To make sure he's all right."

"The way it looks from here, you really don't need to worry about him," Takeru said with a grin. Surprised, Daisuke looked at Ken again and gasped for breath when he saw Ken smiling.

Although... no, that wasn't Ken's smile. Not his real smile, anyway. Daisuke knew all the different types of Ken's smile, and this was the mask he put on when he felt uncomfortable but didn't want anyone to notice.

"Is that guy flirting with Ichijouji-kun?" Miyako wondered.

Daisuke's eyes widened in horror. Miyako was right, that was definitely Flirting. Didn't that guy notice that Ken wasn't interested?

"I'll be right back," Daisuke murmured and hurried out of the water as fast as she could. An idea came into his head and he grinned viciously. That way he could definitely chase the guy away. That's what he got from harassing Ken.

"Ken-chan!" Smiling, he ran towards them.

Ken and the guy both looked up. The guy stared at Daisuke angrily as if he didn't like the fact that Daisuke was bothering them. Well, Daisuke didn't care. He let himself fall on the blanket next to Ken and then bent over to give him a kiss on the mouth.

"Dude, why didn't you tell me you were already taken?" the volleyball guy asked offended and then stood up. Daisuke grinned triumphantly as the guy walked away and then separated from Ken again.

Ken looked at him in surprise but then his eyes darkened.

"Never do that again," he demanded and then stood up himself. Without saying another word, he went to Hikari who was just coming towards them with two waffles of ice cream.

Ken talked to Hikari, who then gave Daisuke a horrified look, and then the two walked away from him in opposite directions.

Daisuke looked at them in surprise. He had only wanted to help Ken, so why did he react so strangely now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Daisuke, you really screwed this time...  
> Never kiss someone without their consent. Never!


	6. 6.

On the way to the beach, Ken and Daisuke had sat together in the back seat, pressing their sides together while they talked about all sorts of things that came to their minds. Now it was evening, Daisuke's father had picked them up as agreed, but then Ken had climbed onto the passenger seat.

"K-Ken?" Puzzled, Daisuke looked at him, but Ken had turned his head in the opposite direction and avoided looking at him.

"Daisuke, let him be." Hikari held him by the arm just as he was about to open the passenger door to ask Ken what that was all about. He hadn't said a word to Daisuke during the rest of the afternoon. Daisuke hadn't wanted to speak to him in front of the others but had hoped that they could talk to each other later in the car.

Hikari, Iori and Miyako were picked up by Taichi. Iori and Miyako had already said goodbye to them, only Hikari was still with them. She had hugged Ken as a goodbye and now she said goodbye to Daisuke as well.

"Hikari-chan, do you know why Ken is acting like this?" Daisuke looked at her desperately. It hurt that his best friend stopped talking to him.

She sighed and then glanced at Ken before looking at Daisuke again.

"Of course I know. But Ken wouldn't want me to tell you, I'm sorry, Daisuke," she calmly explained. "Maybe just think about what your actions could mean for Ken," she added and then went to her brother's car. Daisuke looked after her in surprise until Taichi's car was no longer in sight. Only then he got into the car himself.

Daisuke had sat down behind his father, and throughout the journey he kept casting worried glances at his best friend. But Ken kept staring persistently out of the window. Daisuke wanted to ask him so much what was going on.

They reached the Ichijoujis' home without much trouble. The plan was for Ken to leave his swimsuits and get his sleeping things and then spend the rest of the weekend at Daisuke's place.

Ken made no attempt to get up at first. Only when Mr Motomiya cleared his throat slightly he looked up in surprise, as if he didn't even notice that they had arrived in Tamachi, and then unbuckled his seat belt.

"Thanks for the ride home, Mr. Motomiya." Friendly Ken smiled at him and then got out of the car. Daisuke watched him anxiously. He hoped Ken would turn around and tell him that he would return soon. But Ken didn't look back once.

"Daisuke?" V-mon looked at him worried. The Digimon had noticed that something had happened between him and Ken and was now worried over its partner. Even though it didn't understand exactly why they had fought in the first place.

Mr. Motomiya sighed and then opened the car door too. "I'm smoking one right now," he said as he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. "Take this opportunity. Don't sit so gloomy in the car."

Daisuke jumped out of the car and hurried to the front door, which was about to close again. V-mon was right behind him. At the last second he reached the door and pushed it open. Ken stood at the other end of the hallway in front of the elevator.

"Ken!" he called him and hurried towards him. Ken looked at him in surprise. The doors opened and he took a step towards the elevator.

"Ken, please wait." Daisuke reached the elevator and then stood in the door frame so that the doors could not close again.

Breathing heavily, Daisuke supported his hands on his knees and gasped for his breath. He could feel Ken's eyes on him but otherwise he didn't bother to say or do anything.

"What's wrong with you, Ken?", Daisuke asked after he had calmed down again. He stepped towards Ken who took a step back.

" Everything's all right," Ken claimed. "I'm just tired and I want to go to bed."

Daisuke swallowed. No mention that Ken was supposed to sleep over at his place tonight.

"I know you're lying," Daisuke replied. "You've been in a strange mood ever since I kissed you."

"You're imagining things," Ken said, shaking his head and avoided looking at Daisuke.

"Ken-chan, you really should talk to Daisuke," Wormmon said. The Digimon had been sitting in Ken's arms mutely and hadn't made a sound. But now he jumped to the floor.

"Wormmon?"

"I think you should be alone now," the caterpillar digimon said and crawled towards V-mon.

"Come on," it demanded its Jogress-partner. V-mon looked back and forth between the two humans in amazement, but then it had apparently understood what Wormmon was getting at, and together the two Digimon then walked back down the hall to give their partners the privacy they needed.

"Wormmon's right," Daisuke said and took another step towards Ken. Ken flinched slightly, but this time he stayed in the same place. The elevator doors closed behind Daisuke with a slight pling.

"Ken, please tell me why you're angry with me. I only kissed you to make this guy stop bothering you."

"Flirted, Daisuke. He flirted with me," Ken remarked.

Daisuke sighed out loud.

"Do you honestly think I didn't notice you were uncomfortable?"

"And even if I did, that doesn't give you permission to kiss me without asking," Ken replied loudly and looked at Daisuke angrily.

Daisuke narrowed his eyebrows. Maybe he could have acted differently, but didn't Ken realize that he hadn't meant any harm?

"Sorry I cared about you," he blurted out. "It was clear you didn't want that guy around, and I couldn't think of anything better at that moment than to pretend to be your boyfriend."

"And you couldn't do that without kissing me? You could have just told him I was already taken!"

Frightened, Daisuke took a step back. A small voice in his subconscious quietly spoke up and agreed with Ken's words. Daisuke could have acted differently.

He looked up at Ken and was startled when he saw that he was crying. A single tear rolled across Ken's face and then fell to the floor. Ken cried. Ken cried because of him.

Daisuke's heart tightened desperately, so it hurt him so much to see his best friend crying.

"Well, maybe I could have acted differently," Daisuke admitted and walked towards Ken. "But I just wanted to make sure he left you alone. And maybe it was wrong and rude of me to kiss you without your permission."

"Maybe?"

"Okay, it was definitely shitty of me," Daisuke rushed to say. "I wasn't thinking, I just did the first thing that came into my mind. Besides, we kissed before that. After all, it never meant anything the other times either."

Ken looked at him under tearful eyes and said no word. Something that made Daisuke incredibly nervous.

"Right?" he asked uncertainly.

"And what if your kisses meant something to me?" Ken asked softly. "I mean, haven't you ever noticed that whenever you wanted to kiss me or you were supposed to, I always accepted right away?"

Daisuke thought hard. Ken was definitely right, he had never had a problem with Daisuke kissing him.

"Ken, are you saying that you...?" Daisuke swallowed. He couldn't finish the sentence. Because when he said it, it was real and there was no turning back.

"That I what, Daisuke? That I've probably been in love with you since our first kiss, even though I know for a fact that those kisses mean absolutely nothing to you?" Ken blurted it out. "That I hope every time you kiss me again, even though I know for sure it means nothing to you, or at least not the same thing as to me? And I'm stupid enough to let it happen every time. I hope every time that maybe you finally feel something for me, too. But then you always insist that it doesn't mean anything. You never even ask me what it means to me. But now that you know, maybe next time you'll think twice before kissing me."

Ken was in love with him.

Ken had been in love with him for years and he was a fool not to have noticed. No wonder Hikari had looked at him in such horror earlier on the beach. Ken had probably confided in her. Daisuke had been so stupid and had kissed Ken again and again without paying attention to the feelings of his best friend.

"Why didn't you ever say anything?" he now asked gently, wiping the tears from Ken's face.

"So you could say no to me?" Ken replied bitterly. His lower lip shivered slightly and Daisuke couldn't take his eyes off.

Something nagged at him while he thought about all the kisses with Ken. Maybe their first kiss didn't count, Daisuke still had a crush on Hikari back then. And their second kiss definitely didn't count, after all Daisuke had stumbled over V-mon and fallen on Ken.

Daisuke could've just skipped that " Truth or Dare" kiss. But he really wanted to kiss Ken.

He kissed Ken because he wanted to cheer him up. But Ken would have been happy if he just had held him. As usual, when Ken was feeling bad.

He had kissed Ken because he wanted to.

"Ken," Daisuke said his name and wrapped his arms around his neck.

"Daisuke, please..." Ken whispered and then stopped when Daisuke shook his head.

"What if I told you I want to be kissed by you?," Daisuke asked and gazed into Ken's violet eyes, which widened in surprise. Then he pulled Daisuke up to him and pressed their lips together.

Daisuke had to stand on his tiptoes to reach Ken and he pushed him closer so he wouldn't lose his balance. A groan escaped Daisuke while Ken almost impatiently stroked Daisuke's lips with his tongue and demanded to enter.

Entrance which Daisuke was only too happy to grant him. As soon as he opened his mouth, Ken's tongue was already inside him. Damn, that felt wonderful. Ken's lips, his tongue, everything about him was demanding and overwhelming. Daisuke loved to be carried away. It almost felt as if Ken wanted to convey all the feelings he'd been holding back before.

After what felt like an eternity Ken let go of him again and for a few seconds they just stared at each other, sinking into each other's eyes.

Finally Ken moved his hand to the side to press a button and a short time later the elevator doors opened again.

"Will you wait here until I get my things?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally a kiss that means something.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this and all your comments and kudos. I'm happy you enjoyed this fic.

**Author's Note:**

> For the 5+1 challenge on the DaiKen Discord Server. If you want to join, follow this [link ](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/DaisuKen5plus1) for more informations.


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